Bengaluru, 12 July

Congress leader BK Hariprasad on Sunday criticised the Centre over alleged irregularities in the education system, saying the party's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' (Students' Echo) campaign, launched by Rahul Gandhi in Kota, Rajasthan, aimed to protest against the "disastrous performance" of the Education Ministry. He alleged repeated question paper leaks had affected lakhs of students, accusing the government of failing to act against Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

"Even after a series of question paper leaks, and despite this being brought to the notice of PM Narendra Modi, he has not taken any action against the Education Minister," Hariprasad said, adding that nearly 1.4 crore people were affected in the last leak and about 21 students died by suicide, yet there was "no remorse from any corner of the NDA."

As part of the campaign, Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit Dehradun on 17 July to interact with youth, with an AICC office-bearer confirming preparations are underway. Gandhi last visited Uttarakhand on 4 June, though his Almora rally and Pauri Garhwal interaction were postponed due to bad weather.

The nationwide 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' campaign aims to spotlight issues facing students, including exam irregularities and the broader state of India's education system.